Well it’s now officially December 19th – the day Asus will release the Transformer Prime for sale! Amazon are already prepared, with all four variants of the Prime available for pre-order right now. Any minute now they could switch from “Temporarily out of stock” to “In Stock”, so you’d better snag yours quickly! Here’s the different models available:

The 64GB variant of the Transformer Prime appears to be in high demand, short stock, or a combination of both. Earlier this morning Amazon was showing a pre-order page for the device. However, the page now says “Temporarily out of stock – Order now and we’ll deliver when available.” They disappeared quickly!

You can still buy the 64GB Transformer Prime ($599 with free postage in the US) if you want to be the first to receive one when Amazon gets more stock.

Several recent reports have indicated that Asus will delay the Transformer Prime release until next year, citing Wi-Fi issues as the reason. Apparently NCIX sent an email to customers who had pre-ordered the device, notifying them of the expected delay. Here is the redacted text of one customer’s email:

Unfortunately, we just received word that the ASUS Transformer Prime has been delayed worldwide and will most likely not be available before Christmas. ASUS feels the WiFi range does not currently meet their standards and has delayed all shipments worldwide. At the moment there is no ETA and no information on available quantities on the first batch.

We just posted a couple of days ago that the Transformer Prime would be released December 8th. Well, we’ve now discovered that rumour – reported on several major websites – was actually incorrect. ASUS have now confirmed that the Transformer Prime will be released in the US on December 19th.

So you’ve got an extra 10 days to wait. The retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy still haven’t updated their expected shipping date, but it shouldn’t be long after the 19th. If all goes well, you’ll still be able to get your Transformer shipped anywhere in the US before Christmas. If you’re looking for the perfect Christmas present, pre-order your Transformer Prime now!

Apparently Taiwan will be the first country to receive the Prime, with the first devices hitting the shelves December 1st. Those in the US will have to wait a little longer, as sales will begin December 1st for online and retail outlets in the US. Amazon and other stores already have the device available for pre-order, so you can snag your copy now and be prepared for the rush.

Well the news is coming in thick and fast now! The US product page for the Transformer Prime went live just a few days ago, and we just announced yesterday that the device is available for pre-order. Now Asus have released the official source code and user manual for the new tablet – before any physical devices have even hit the shelves!

There’s no need to wait any longer. The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime is now available to pre-order from several online retailers in the USA and Canada. No word yet on the shipping date, but expect some time in early December.